Gigi and Ojiji: Food for Thought (I Can Read Level 3)

A Geisel Honor–winning series!
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best!
Join Gigi as she tries natto, a traditional Japanese food, in this exciting and engaging Level Three I Can Read book by acclaimed author and illustrator Melissa Iwai. Intergenerational relationships, Japanese culture, and social and emotional learning are highlighted in this sweet biracial story, perfect for sharing with children 3 to 6.
Ohayo! It’s breakfast time and Gigi can’t wait to make her favorite meal—Peanut Butter Toast. Yummy! But Ojiji doesn’t like peanut butter. How can anyone NOT like peanut butter? Ojiji prefers Japanese foods—like natto, made from fermented soybeans. Will Gigi learn to love a new breakfast treat? This story highlights the close relationship of Gigi and her grandfather and the importance of trying new things!
This exciting and engaging I Can Read series is brought to you by author-illustrator Melissa Iwai, whose popular books include Soup Day and Dumplings for Lili.
Gigi and Ojij: Food for Thought is a Level Three I Can Read book. Level 3 includes many fun subjects kids love to read about on their own. Themes include friendship, adventure, historical fiction, and science. Level 3 books are written for early independent readers. They include some challenging words and more complex themes and stories. The story contains several Japanese words and a glossary of definitions.
Praise for Gigi and Ojiji:
"Gigi crafts her Japanese American identity in this ­enchanting early reader. The cuteness, inclusivity, and cross-cultural problem-solving represented will have young ­readers coming back again and again. A must-buy." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"The text is well supported by the endearing illustrations, which capture all of Gigi’s big emotions and depict her as a biracial child, with a white father and Japanese mother." —Booklist (starred review)
"An affirming option in the quickly diversifying field of early-reader books." —Kirkus
A 2023 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor title
El día de los niños, el día de los libros selection 2023
ALSC Notable 2023
CBC Teacher and Librarian Favorites Award 2023
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year in the 5-9 beginning reader category (2023)

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A fine-tuned depiction of empathy and cultural identity development. Celebrating Japanese culture, this is a heartwarming family story for independent readers. — School Library Journal“A nuanced, fresh take on the trying-new-foods trope. This loving multiracial, bilingual, and multigenerational family reflects many children’s lived experience, and Iwai’s illustrations reinforce the story’s sense of empathy and acceptance.” — Horn Book Magazine